Friday, November 2, 2007

The jellyfish has landed.

I finished the Hemlock Ring Blanket! Unblocked, it still looked very much like a coelenterate drifting along in the ocean currents...

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Here are some close-ups of the jelly's lovely details:
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Spread out a bit, it looks more like the blanket it is. Of course, Bug wanted to check it out (WARNING: Gratuitous quantities of cat/knit photos ahead).

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Moana didn't want to help with the photoshoot. She sat staring out the window instead...
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Finally, she decided to come take a look (and a sniff):
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Then she got a little too cozy with it for comfort:
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Umm... that's quite enough, Moana! Step away from the Hemlock Ring Blanket, very carefully...

Eventually the cats let me block it. Here it is all pinned out.
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Note that it hangs over the edges of our guest bed (which is a double bed, not a queensize, for reference)

It's been unpinned for a while now, but I haven't had the chance to take post-blocking photos yet. I have to keep it away from Moana when not in use (she can still smell the sheep in the wool), lest she massage it to death with her sharp, pointy claws : )

Hemlock pattern wrap up and post-blocked pictures to come...


Prize Yarn!

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I won this amazing, sparkly handspun yarn made by Jess in Knittymama's Flood Relief Contest. Thanks Knittymama, for running the contest, and Jess, for offering her handspun yarn as one of the prizes!


Kasia's Earrings

In addition to knitting (and sewing) amazing things, Kasia of Morgiana's Manifesto makes lovely, distinctive earrings that she's selling in her Etsy Shop. I bought her Path of a Serpent earrings. They're really beautiful (and I need to take a photo of them now that they're in my possession) - Thanks, Kasia!

Also, Kasia tagged me for 8 Random Things, but since I did that fairly recently, I'll just link to that post here (scroll down a bit).

After an otherwise wonderful visit with my brother in law, his wife, and their 15 month old baby, my husband and I have both succombed to a nasty cold the little guy passed on to us. I hope you are all managing to avoid getting sick this fall! Have a good week : )

42 comments:

soknitpicky said...

You've inspired me to get off my bottom right now and go block my still-unblocked jellyfish :-)

Laiane said...

My need to see pictures of Bug and Moana (with yarn) has been assuaged! But I must confess my first thought on seeing Bug in the Blanket was of the Horta from the Star Trek episode "Devil in the Dark."

It's beautifully done, and looks very cozy. I'm sure blocking was a challenge (with all the Cat Supervision, you know).

Knittymuggins said...

Beautiful blanket and adorable kitty photos! I'm so sorry to hear that you have colds
:( Hope you feel better soon!

knittymuggins

anphoe said...

NICE blanket. Now I want to knit one too!
I always love your cats... how can you make them take pictures with your FOs like that? so calm... please tell me the secret!

Peacock Chic said...

Oh WOW!! That Hemlock Blanket came out beautiful!! This pattern has really caught my attention now.

Also, you can never have too many kitty pictures, says the cat lady :O)

YarnSnob said...

wow beautiful, there is something about Hemlocks and cats..don't know quite what but they both seem to love it, Did you enjoy knitting it?
Congrats on the competition.

Marlena said...

Hemlock looks beautiful so far (and it's so perfectly coordinated with Bug's coloring!). Every time I see one of those completed, I mentally bump it up in my queue.

lv2knit said...

I love those Hemlock Rings!!!

jennsquared said...

I just finished mine as well! Unblocked... Maybe I'll have some time tonight.

Sarah said...

Fabulous blanket. I can see why the cats want to curl up in in! Looking forward to the post-blocking shots.

Kirsten said...

Oh those kitties accessorize your Hemlock Ring perfectly!
Hope you are feeling better soon!

Liz K. said...

Amazing pics -- I can feel the weight and texture of the finished piece from here! Can't wait to see the final blocked blanket!

Jana said...

Beautiful blanket! Perfect for autumn!

Kasia said...

I love this blankie and even more I love your little kitties with it! Congrats on winning the yarn! Yay! What will you knit out of it?? Thank you for your kind post about my earrings. I am so happy that you like them and that they reached you safe!

Anonymous said...

That pattern is intense! Nice job.

Anonymous said...

How beautiful! Can't wait to see that blanket blocked in all its glory. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Disentangled said...

How exciting! Such a great project - I can't wait to see the FO photos. And great kitty photos, too! :-)

Kara said...

Ha! Those kitty pics are great! And Hemlock looks amazing.

Bryony Ramsden said...

Ooooo wow! That is one mean blanket! And the kitties definitely like it ;)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I've seen it knit in many different colors on Ravelry, and I still like it in the subtle brown the best!

Oiyi said...

Wonderful! I like all the textures before it's blocked.

Allison said...

The kitty really makes that blanket pop! Beautiful job!

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is amazing! Congrats!

LisaB said...

That is the prettiest jellyfish I have ever seen! Can't wait to see the blocked version.

Annie said...

The blanket is beautiful! Please do post pictures of it post blocking, I want to see it in all its glory. Woo hoo!

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful blanket - although I was giggling over the jellyfish shot! And let's hear it for gratuitous quantities of cats and knitting; what more could we want? (Ok, chocolate, but we've got chocolate color.) And Bug...y'know, I think he's a secret fashionista. (Fashionisto?) The guy just instinctively knows what colors coordinate with Siamese! Moana...well, I think she's considering it sheepnip. ;)

Anonymous said...

PS - Wups, not thinking clearly - thanks much for the encouragement on the cardigan, and for asking how things are going. I'm alive, just was in one of those bottom of the cycle times. ;) ::hugs::

Beth said...

I am just in awe of your talent. I feel like just a pre-K knitter. I don't even know how to block or unblock.

Do you have any advice for how I can really learn how to knit thingsg like you're doing? I would greatly appreciate it.

The blanket is beautiful and so are your photos.

The Kelly Green Rogue said...

it looks amazing! I'm mighty impressed!

Anonymous said...

The blanket is beautiful. I can`t wait to see it blocked. Nice kitty pictures too. your Moana looks a little bit, only smaller, like our Peanut. Is she a Russian Blue?

Spincerely said...

Your Hemlock Ring is beautiful (as are your cats). Hope you feel better.

Susan said...

Oh! That is stunning, really stunning.
Your Hemlock has a very vintage~y look that I adore.
(and it seems your kitty has already staked claim to it)

:)

Madge said...

Hope you and DH are feeling better. At least you have a fabulous Hemlock blankie to snuggle under while you recuperate! It's beautiful, and I love how it color coordinates with the kitties.

mel said...

That blanket is amazing - gorgeous, gorgeous knitting!! And the gratuitous cat/knit photos are so perfect, they make me grin. My little girlie only burrows when it's cold (and no one's looking!)

Anonymous said...

Your Hemlock Ring Blanket is beautiful and it looks like someone has already claimed it!
Love all of the pictures.
Hope you are feeling better soon.

Unknown said...

Stop it! Stop inspiring and tempting me with your talents and good taste! I simply cannot add anymore patterns to my list of wish-knits. Aaargh...

It is exquisite. Perfect color, perfectly knit. It's a nice size for a cuddly throw, yes?

I just made Bug my desktop wallpaper....

LizKnits said...

That blanket does look fabulous. I can't wait to see it blocked out and unpinned.

amber said...

Your jelly fish looks great :) can't wait to see it all blocked!

and yeah I tagged you. It's kinda fun coming up with the 7 things I swear.

Anonymous said...

Just when you thought it was safe... Tag, you've been memed. [eg] (Optional. Especially if you're feeling rotten. In which case, just go back to bed as often as you can! ::hugs::)

Anonymous said...

Hemlock is so pretty and it matches Kitty so well I am assuming Kitty will want to borrow it from time to time when she is going our somewhere flash, hope you get over the cold very soon.

Beth said...

I wanted to also add I hope you are feeling better and thank you for all the knitting advice. It is MUCH appreciated!

schrodinger said...

Isn't blocking magic? It looks great.

Hope you're feeling better.